By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
FRESH DIPLOMATIC changes have seen former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani Kayode, reassigned as Nigeria’s ambassador designate to South Africa after he was initially posted to Germany.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that Fani Kayode announced the redeployment on Thursday, stating that President Bola Tinubu approved the change after a formal request was made to Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, then Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“I was not comfortable with Germany for a number of personal reasons and given the fact that I had lived in Europe most of my life I would prefer to go to South Africa which is a country that I had never been to and for which I have so much interest,” Fani Kayode said.
“I also expressed the fact that I would rather serve in a country that shares some of my convictions, beliefs and values when it comes to world affairs, that has the biggest economy in Africa, that has closer ties to Nigeria and that is more proximate to my political thinking when it comes to foreign affairs and a pan African vision.”
He said he applied for the redeployment two days after the initial announcement and that Tuggar conveyed the request to President Tinubu, who approved it.
“I will be eternally grateful to Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this favourable consideration,” he said.
Senator Ita Enang, who was originally posted to South Africa, will now serve as Germany’s ambassador designate in Fani Kayode’s place.
President Tinubu had on March 6 approved the posting of over 60 ambassadors, including Fani Kayode, to their respective countries.
Reports later emerged alleging that Germany rejected Fani Kayode’s nomination over what was described as “erratic behaviour” and “divisive ethnocentric, tribalistic, and religious fundamentalist comments in Nigeria”.
The reports surfaced days after Fani Kayode was alleged to have exchanged words with Richard Montgomery, the United Kingdom’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, during a Ramadan dinner hosted by Bashir Lado, the President’s Special Adviser on Senate Matters, in Abuja.
Reacting to the reports, Fani Kayode denied that Germany rejected him.
“I take this opportunity to once again confirm that this was my choice and that Germany NEVER formally rejected me, which was a fake report that was published in an irresponsible online magazine that thrives on sensationalism, lies and blackmail,” he said.
“Their story was not only irresponsible and insulting but was also a total and complete fabrication based on hearsay, beer parlour talks and cheap gossip and designed to embarrass my goodself, the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
“Worse still they listed a number of clearly outlandish and absurd reasons for this purported and fake ‘rejection’ which they patched together and concocted reflecting the malevolent condition of their perverse imagination.”
Fani Kayode said the reports emerged on the same day an agreement was sent to South Africa by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was later leaked to the media organisation.
JKNewsMedia.com reports he said a preliminary investigation showed the report was sponsored and written with malicious intent, adding that the matter had been reported to security agencies while his legal team had been directed to file a civil defamation suit against the publication.
He also challenged the publication to provide documentary evidence of any formal rejection by Germany, insisting that no such rejection occurred.
Fani Kayode said his statement became necessary following concerns raised by friends and well-wishers, adding that he looked forward to serving in South Africa, “a nation that I admire, and respect given its remarkable and inspiring history.”
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